Like A
by Squeeka Cuomo
Summary: This was one of the most important things his father had taught him, and it was finally time to pass it on. “You treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek goddess, and then a person again.” - Shawn/Juliet
1. 1987

**Like a...**

**1987  
****Santa Barbara, CA**

Things couldn't get any worse. It just wasn't possible. A black cat could have crossed his path (twice) before a piano fell on his head, and it still wouldn't have been as bad as this. Gus could have puked a half-digested hot fudge and Pop Rock sundae all over his shoes, and Shawn would still not be as miserable as he was right now.

Or so he thought…

Walking through the front door of his house, Shawn didn't exactly stomp and scream to announce his presence. But he didn't take the precautions his father had taught him in order to go unnoticed either. If he had, the boy might have been spared the icing on the cake of his night. If he'd just taken some extra care with how he shut the door and walked only on the balls of his feet, the brunet may have made it to his bedroom unscathed.

The keyword, however, was "if".

"Shawn?" As always, his father's voice was a mixture of question and accusation. It just wasn't fair. Shawn was already being blamed for something, and he hadn't even been given a chance to do anything worthy of blame. Before he had a chance to try and escape up the stairs, Henry came walking out of the kitchen, beer can in hand. "Shawn, what happened to you?" He sounded shocked but not all that surprised at the sight before him.

As his father's eyes raked over his body, the young boy felt his ears begin to burn. He dropped his eyes to his feet in shame, but that only made things worse. Looking down at his sneakers, Shawn had an excellent view of the sticky red mess staining the front of his favorite Knight Rider t-shirt. "Molly Gray poured her fruit punch on me."

"… Molly Gray poured her fruit punch on you." Henry sounded confused but not at all surprised, and Shawn couldn't help himself from dropping his head a little lower.

"Yeah." Trying to fight back the desire to wipe away the sugary mess, the boy stuffed his hands in his pockets. Shifting back and forth on his feet, he waited for whatever admonishment his father would dole out. After all, he always did. It was only a matter of time.

"And _why_ did Molly do this?" The cop gestured at his son's ruined shirt.

There were sometimes when Shawn really, really wished that the floor would open up and swallow him hole. This was _definitely_ one of them. "Cause she caught me looking at Isabel Walker."

"… Because she caught you looking at Isabel Walker." The statement was followed by a very obvious eye roll and then an amused chuckle. "Come on, kid, in here."

Shawn gave the stairs up to his bedroom one last desperate look before shuffling into the kitchen after his father. He'd expected the older man to sit him down and lecture him about how stupid he'd been. But what Henry did do… shocked him.

Closing the refrigerator door, Henry had his beer in one hand and a bottle of Coke in the other. Skillfully twisting off the cap with the hand still holding the alcohol, the man tossed the metal disc in the garbage. Setting the cold drink in front of his son, Henry took the seat opposite him. It was one of the kindest things his father had done for him in a long time.

Cautiously, the boy reached out for the bottle and pulled it towards himself.

"So… Molly Gray poured her drink on you because she caught you looking at Isabel Walker." In the glow of the kitchen light, Shawn caught the smirk that was threatening to take over his father's face.

"… Yep. That's what I said." It really was ridiculous. It was almost like Henry knew that with each repetition of the situation, it made him feel worse. And he certainly wouldn't put it past his father to do that.

"I thought we talked about this. When you're with a girl, you pay attention to-"

"But I did! I paid attention to _every_ word she said! I even repeated what she'd said when she was pouring her fruit punch on me." That was it. Shawn Spencer was officially defeated. He'd done everything his dad had said. He'd listened to every word out of the girl's mouth, and she'd still gotten mad at him. What did it matter if he was looking at Isabel if he could repeat every word Molly had said?

"Well there's your problem. You listened to her, but you didn't _listen_ to her." From the confused look on his son's face, Henry could tell that Shawn was totally confused. "Look, kid, it's one thing to hear what a woman says, and it's another to truly listen to her."

Swallowing a mouthful of soda, Shawn considered his father's words, as the carbonation tickled his throat and nose. "I still don't get it."

With great effort, Henry stopped himself from rolling his eyes again. With a few finger taps on the cool beer bottle, the older Spencer remembered something his father had told him when he was a boy. "With women, you have to be careful. If you don't treat them _just_ right, you'll know it."

He knew it was mean, but the older man couldn't help but gesture at his son's ruined shirt. "If you want to not end up with fruit punch dumped on your shirt again, remember this…" Henry paused for just a moment. This was one of the most important things his father had taught him, and it was finally time to pass it on. "You treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek goddess, and then a person again."

Henry looked over at his son who seemed to be digesting the information. The man knew that Shawn was smart and that he'd work it out eventually, so, instead of waiting around, he stood up. Making his way towards the kitchen door, Henry looked back at Shawn one more time. "You were clearly treating Molly like a person when you should have been treating her like a princess."

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- This was originally written for the "Like a…" challenge posted by Ablissad on .  
**- **The quote, while paraphrased, was taken from the episode "Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion".  
- Katie – So there aren't octozombies in this but the 'pop' does make it as the standard grand gesture. (Even if it isn't Mello Yello.) Thank you so much for all of your help and support. :duck:  
- Reviews are love.


	2. Person

**Like a… Person**

**Present Day  
****… still Santa Barbara**

Normally, Juliet O'Hara didn't mind a visit from Shawn Spencer. He was funny and energetic, and though she didn't like to admit it out loud… the psychic was very easy on the eyes. But right now, with Interim Chief Vick on the warpath, he was a less than welcome sight. And the fact that the man was eating something that looked very messy and sitting cross-legged on her desk (and therefore on her paperwork) did not help her mood.

Rushing over to her desk, the harried blonde looked from Shawn to his partner Gus. Thankfully the other man had had the common sense to sit in the chair next to her desk instead of on it. "Guys, this really isn't-"

"Pineapple, Jules?" Totally ignoring the detective's exasperated look, the man offered up the plastic container he'd been holding. The acidic scent from the freshly cut fruit wafted towards the woman before him. "I sliced this baby up this morning. I sensed you-"

"Mr. Spencer. Mr. Guster. We don't need you today. You may leave." Karen Vick had just stuck her head out of her office, the heavy bags under her eyes indicating that it was not a good time to mess with her. The older woman looked from Shawn to Gus and then to Juliet without saying a word.

As Vick disappeared behind her door once again, Juliet considered the plastic container in Shawn's hand. The moment he caught the direction of her gaze, the psychic waved the pineapple temptingly. "Come on, Jules, you know you're longing for some tropical-y goodness."

A resigned smile crossed the young woman's face as she reached into the blue Tupperware container. "Oh all right, just one piece." Placing the chunk of juicy yellow fruit between her teeth, Juliet bit it in half. But as the tangy juices hit her tongue, Shawn's face fell, and a growl came from behind her.

"O'Hara. In my office. Now." A loud slam followed the command, and no one breathed for a few seconds. The moment they were sure she was gone, there was a collective exhale of relief. Quickly popping the rest of the pineapple into her mouth, Juliet all but ran to the Chief's office without as much as a thank you or goodbye.

Shawn and Gus exchanged a quick glance and shoulder shrug before looking at the door Juliet had just disappeared behind. Dropping his eyes to what remained of the fruit, Shawn muttered to himself, "Bye, Jules." Even Gus didn't catch the sadness at her departure in his voice.

"Well, Shawn, if there's no case, I have a route to start and ultimately finish. Today." Relieved to be able leave the police station unscathed, Gus stood up and waited for his friend to follow.

"Ooh, Gus, check this out." Shawn had swung his legs over the edge of the desk and was surprised to see what had been resting under his left foot. The loss of Juliet was forgotten by his find.

Juliet's day planner.

Licking the sticky juice off of his fingers, the man picked up the small book. "It's Jules's calendar. Look at this; it's so cute what with all the doodles and colorful ink she used for different notes. Oooh! She's even got a little present sticker on Wednesday!"

In all the years they had known each other, Gus had never lost his amazement at how much Shawn could get out in one breath. That, however, didn't change the fact that he did not approve of his friend going through other people's planners. "Shawn. Put that down. You shou-"

"That's not my birthday. I wonder who…" The planner was ripped from Shawn's hands while he'd been deep in thought. "Hey! Gus!" And now, instead of gaining more information on the blonde for future "psychic" episodes, he was left staring at a sour-faced pharmaceutical rep.

"We're leaving now." Still clutched in his hand, Gus refused to set down the planner until Shawn was far away from Juliet's desk.

"Oh all right, Mr. Fun Time Spoiler. Just one second…" Hopping off of the detective's desk, Shawn scribbled a quick note on a yellow post-it, which he stuck to the front of the Tupperware container. "Ok, let's go."

"Thank you." Satisfied that his friend was ready to leave, Gus placed the small planner back on Juliet's desk.

"We need to stop by my dad's place though." His voice was full of spunk and expectation as if he hadn't heard a single word about Gus's route.

"What? Why?" Gus sounded completely flustered and slightly irritated. They had no case and therefore, needed no help. Normally that was the only way Shawn would set foot inside his dad's place.

"We have a case, Gus! We need to find out what May 13th means to Jules!" Shawn really had fine-tuned the art of making something out of nothing. Gus was convinced that if he ever concentrated all of his energy on one thing, he would be positively dangerous.

Normally the pharmaceutical rep would try to argue with his best friend's insanity, but some days... it just wasn't worth it. And so, he followed Shawn outside. He would just have to work on his route tomorrow.

**oooooooooo**

"No, Shawn. No way." Henry Spencer stomped through his living room totally put out by his son's latest plea for help. "I'm not doing it."

"Oh come on. It's easy. Just call up one of your buddies-" Shawn had followed his father out of the living room exaggerating his gestures in an effort to emphasize his frustration.

"You know how I feel about what you _do_, and then you insult my time on the force with I_this_/I?" The older Spencer shot his son's friend a pleading look to which he received a resigned shrug in return. Frustrated at Gus's refusal, Henry turned back to Shawn. "No, Shawn. You can figure this out by yourself."

"How am I insulting…" Giving his father's logic up as a lost cause, Shawn waved off the comment. "I just need you to figure out the significance of May 13th to Detective Juliet O'Hara." The young man threw his arms up in the air as if it were the most reasonable request in the world.

His father, however, seemed to think otherwise. "No, Shawn, not this time. You can figure this one out yourself. Why not check her… her MySpace or whatever it is you kids call it?" Turning to head back to the kitchen, Henry didn't bother to wait for a response. There was no way he was helping his son snoop on someone when he'd proved his skills at that long ago.

With his father back in the kitchen, Shawn and Gus shared a significant look as the younger Spencer mouthed 'MySpace?' in confused amazement. When his best friend simply nodded, the psychic threw his arms up in the air again before storming out of his father's house.

**oooooooooo**

Juliet knew that Interim Chief Vick was stressed out. Juliet also knew that she may have found a nanny, but that didn't mean the stress of a new baby on top of a high power job was any less. But the blonde still didn't think it was fair for the older woman to take out her frustrations on her.

Finally free of the Chief's office, Juliet made her way to her desk and promptly plopped down into her chair. A little worse for wear, the young detective smoothed the palms of her hands over her messy hair as she heaved a very deep sigh. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she noticed the small blue container Shawn had been eating out of earlier sitting on her desk with a note attached.

As her eyes scanned the note, the woman popped one of the juicy chunks of fruit in her mouth. Reading over the post-it one more time before sticking it into her planner, Juliet let out a little laugh. Her first one all day. _Dear Jules, My astral senses told me that you would be needing this more that I would. Enjoy! H and K's, Shawn._

**oooooooooo**

Later that day, Shawn and Gus made their way back to the station. The importance of May 13th was still eating at the psychic's overactive imagination, and he was hoping to 'sense' the truth out of someone.

Completely lost in his thoughts, the psychic ran directly into Buzz McNab who sent a pile of papers flying everywhere. As the tall man stooped to retrieve his work, an idea flashed inside Shawn's head like an eighty-watt light bulb. Shooting Gus a knowing look, Shawn dropped to his knees to 'help' the young cop. "Hey, Buzz."

"Hi, Shawn. Sorry about that." McNab sounded truly apologetic as if he believed the collision really were all his fault and not Shawn's.

"Oh, Buzz, it's ok. I was just lost on the spirit plane." Shawn put on his best misty psychic voice and squinted his eyes for the benefit of Buzz who was nodding along knowingly. "I don't suppose you know of any connections between Detective O'Hara and May 13th? I seem to be working with partial reception today."

Buzz's face screwed up in concentration before it lit up as if a light switch had been flipped on. "Oh, that's her birthday!" McNab's smile grew as he saw the pleased look on the psychic's face. "Well, thanks for your help, Shawn."

With all of the papers back in their file, Buzz stood up and made his way down the hall, leaving Shawn and Gus alone for a well placed, one person crouching, one person standing fist bump.

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To everyone who has reviewed, you've been amazing and that was only the first chapter! Again, thank you! Your kind words make me happier than I can say.  
- Katie: My beta, you truly are amazing. I don't know anyone else who could go from beta-ing ID to this and still be sane. Thank you so much! :D  
- Reviews are love.


	3. Princess

**Like a… Princess**

"Balloons? Streamers? Little party hats with fun tinsel-y pompoms on the tops?" Glancing up from the note pad in front of him, Shawn looked over at Gus. The other man was resolutely ignoring him and tapping away at his computer. The psychic had a party to plan (in a day no less), and now was not the time for his co-partner to go cold shoulder on him. "Oh come on, Gus. I need your help. Your party planning expertise." He'd tried to shove as much excitement as he possibly could into the words, but his best friend wouldn't budge.

Not once breaking his furious storm of typing, Gus raised his eyes and only his eyes from his laptop screen. The look he shot his friend was colder than the shoulder he'd been giving Shawn all morning. Mouth clenched tightly shut, the pharmaceutical rep pointedly returned his eyes to his work.

"Guuuu-" Shawn's whine was cut short as the man sitting across the room shot him another icy glare. "Can I at least get some sort of explanation?" There was an oddly serious tone to the fake psychic's voice, and it was for that reason, and that reason only, that Gus quit typing. The sudden lack of fingers clicking against keys left an emptiness ringing through the air.

"Oh, let's see, Shawn… Firstly, there's my route. Which, has to be finished in two hours." At this point, the man held up two fingers in an effort to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. "Secondly, why should I help plan something that you're going to take all the credit for anyway?"

"I would nev-"

"Christmas, Shawn. You took all the credit for _our_ gift to Juliet." Gus watched in satisfaction as his friend stuttered a little looking for a way out of the quicksand he'd just been caught in. Feeling smug at his rare victory, Gus pressed on. "And thirdly, she probably already has plans. It is-"

"No! See, that's just it. If she _had _I plans, she'd have marked them in her calendar. But it was empty except for the little sticker. All Jules has planned is takeout with Mr. Tinkles." By now, Shawn had jumped out of his seat and was bouncing towards the front door. "That reminds me, I should pencil the party in on her calendar today. Don't let me forget."

Gus didn't know why he was doing it, but he was. As crazy as the majority of Shawn's plans were, he couldn't help but follow along. Even if that meant his route suffered from time to time (… to time). As Gus flipped off the lights to the Psych office, he heard his best friend call from the car, "Hey, do you know the name of those people who do the fruit bouquets?"

**oooooooooo**

Fiddling with the pencil in her hand, Juliet's eyes strayed from the paperwork she was supposed to be working on to the small Tupperware container on the corner of her desk. After yesterday's "meeting" with Interim Chief Vick, the leftover tropical fruit had been a welcome surprise. And for some strange reason, it had made her day. She'd always enjoyed pineapple, but she'd never loved it. Not like Shawn anyway.

Shawn.

The SBPD's resident psychic was… well, he just _was_. There was really no other way to explain him. Not that she ever really tried. No, the detective had resigned herself to the fact that he was now a part of her life and left it at that. Any further consideration of the man had led her into a frenzy of old Academy exercises and that… that was not good. It meant that he'd gotten to her beyond silly jokes and funny faces.

It meant that some more "close talking" with him might not be such a mistake after all.

As the traitorous memories of that night in the station threatened to send her into a gun assembling/disassembling meltdown, Juliet remembered the post-it that had been attached to the pineapple. For whatever reason, she'd stuck the yellow sticky note to the inside cover of her planner. Now, reaching for the small pink book, she was glad she had. But instead of reading over the message yet again, the blonde found herself examining Shawn's handwriting.

His J on Jules had an exaggerated roundness at the bottom, and the d's were extra loopy almost as if he couldn't contain his enthusiasm. Her favorite part of the note, however, wasn't the goofy handwriting, which was totally a mirror of the psychic himself. But rather, her favorite thing about the hastily scribbled post-it was the 'H&K's'. She knew he didn't mean them, knew that it was just in the man's nature to be flirty with everyone. And there was also the possibility he'd been referencing the 'H&K's' he'd written to Lassiter. But still…

Those two little letters connected by a hastily scribbled ampersand made her face light up. Just a bit.

Lost in the note and her thoughts, Juliet didn't notice her partner standing over her shoulder. "Oh how touching. Love notes from Spencer."

His mocking voice had caused her heart to skip a beat and her hand to instinctively slam the planner shut. "It's not a lo-"

"Look, O'Hara. I don't care." Though his voice was convincing, his cerulean eyes belied his words. If she hadn't known better, Juliet would have swore she saw a bit of… jealousy there. But as it was, she did know better. "Come on, Vick wants to see us. Now."

Watching as Lassiter walked away, the blonde sighed to herself as she stood up. She knew he wasn't the kindest person in the world, but it would have been nice, if just once, he had waited for her. They were partners after all. But as hard as it was for Juliet to admit it, there was an upside to Lassiter's lack of manners. Now she had something other than Shawn to focus on.

**oooooooooo**

"And one for you…" Shawn removed the small yellow envelope from where he'd been holding it against his forehead. His mystical "reading" of the card had told him that it was meant for Buzz despite the fact that his name was clearly written on the other side in green ink. As the young police officer happily took the card, Shawn smiled and nodded as if he'd just done the greatest thing in the world. "Make sure to bring the little misses."

Practically bouncing out of his shiny black shoes, McNab twisted the envelope around in his large hands excitedly. It was obvious that the young man was thrilled at being included in whatever the invitation was for. "Awwww, thanks guys."

"Oh no, Gus didn't do anything. I did it all myself." Shawn's face had gone from benevolent kindness to complete horror, and he threw his arm in front of Gus, blocking him from Buzz's praise. "Mr. Cranky Pants here didn't wanna help."

Gus looked over at Buzz and was shocked to see that his smile had dropped to a disappointed frown. "I needed to finish my route." Though the young cop nodded his head in understanding, Gus could tell that he didn't believe him. "I dropped him off at the mall! He's a big boy. He can handle things himself."

From where he was standing, Shawn noticed the small pink calendar sitting on Juliet's desk. Looking from a disgruntled Gus to a confused Buzz, the psychic quirked an eyebrow before rushing over to the blonde's desk. He did, after all, have to make a note in it about tomorrow night's party.

"Gus, come here. I need your fancy handwriting." Pulling the small book towards himself, Shawn opened the cover and stopped. The tiny yellow post-it shined at him like a pineapple in a pineapple-less world. He wanted to stare at it longer, but when his best friend gave a fake cough behind him, Shawn remembered where he was and that he didn't have much time.

Giving the post-it one last look, Shawn flipped the pages of the calendar to the week of May 13th. "Do me a favor, write-"

"No, Shawn, I won't. I was _going_ to help you. But after that thing with McNab, you're on your own." At the look of disbelief on his friend's face, Gus added an afterthought. "Really."

"Really?" Slightly confused and totally skeptical, Shawn considered his best friend.

"Yeah, really." Gus put on his most 'you're on your own' face and held his ground.

Shawn wanted to argue and point out that no matter what, Gus would end up helping in the end. Unfortunately, he didn't have time for that. And from Gus' crossed arms and set face, the psychic could tell that he _really_ was on his own. But as he reached for a pen, he couldn't help mumbling under his breath, "See if I try and help you disguise your handwriting in the future." Looking from left to right, Shawn made sure no one was watching before scribbling a note with his left hand in the planner.

**oooooooooo**

"Excuse me, can you tell me where Juliet O'Hara's desk is?" The delivery boy stood before Lassiter with a pineapple bouquet in hand. Cowering under the detective's piercing gaze, the young man hurried over to the desk that the detective was pointing at.

"Umh, Juliet O'Hara." His voice sounded unsure, and he had the weary look of someone who'd just dealt with her partner.

"Yes?" Juliet smiled at the arrangement, hoping that it was for her despite the fact that there was no one who would be sending her a bouquet of… pineapple. Shawn.

"This is for you." More confused than touched, the blonde took the fruit basket and watched as the delivery boy ran off, giving Lassiter's desk a wide berth.

As she took a seat at her desk, Juliet began searching the basket for a card. However, a scribbled note in unfamiliar handwriting in her planner caught her eye. Next to the small present she'd put on her birth date was _Tom Blair's Pub. 8:00pm_.

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- Again, thank you all soooo much. Your kind words and encouragement mean the world to me. Pineapple smoothies for you all! :D  
- Katie: I'm so glad that my funny doesn't fall flat. :P I must admit, I was worried that the humor wouldn't translate. Thank you so much. You are truly a beta goddess. :duck:  
- Reviews are love.


	4. Greek Goddess

**Like a… Greek Goddess**

Juliet wasn't excited about her birthday.

At all.

Usually she was but not this year. Normally the woman would spend time with her family on her birthday. She'd go out for dinner with her parents and then come home to a cake her mother had baked just for her. But not this year.

This year her parents and extended family had all traveled to her house for a traditional Scottish Christmas. And because of that, her mom and dad weren't able to make it to Santa Barbara for her birthday. She'd begged Interim Chief Vick for a few days off, but the older woman just wouldn't give. And so, Juliet O'Hara was stuck at home, alone on her birthday for the first time in her life. Yes, she had whatever was going on at Tom Blair's Pub that night, if it was for her birthday even. But without her parents there, it just wouldn't be the same.

When her alarm clock savagely ripped through her dreams that morning, all Juliet could do was roll over and curl up into a tight ball wishing that it was May 14th.

**oooooooooo**

"Just so you know, Shawn, I've already bought my own gift for Juliet. You can get your own." Once again, Gus had left his route until the last minute and was now struggling to get through his paperwork on time. Not sparing a moment to look up from his laptop, the man missed the incredulous look on his best friend's face.

"I can handle getting my own gift, Gus." Truth be told, with everything he'd done the day before, Shawn had forgotten to pick out a present for Juliet. Finding a gift wouldn't be hard exactly, but it would take time, and he still had errands to run.

"Sure you can." If he hadn't been lost in medicine titles, prescription amounts, and doctor's names, Gus would have come up with a wittier comeback. But if he wanted to go to Juliet's party that night, he really did need to get his work done.

"Hey, buddy, can I borrow your car?"

There was a rare serious note to Shawn's voice, and Gus couldn't help but look up from the glowing screen. "What for? Your bike's right outside."

"I need to pick up some things." Rifling through some papers on his desk, Shawn made an extensive mental list of all the things he had to do before eight pm. And as the list continued to grow, he couldn't help but think of how much faster it would go with Gus's help.

The pharmaceutical rep eyed his best friend suspiciously before surrendering his car keys. "Just make sure you refill the tank and don't spill anything in it." As Shawn grabbed the keys and headed out the door with an elusive 'course not', Gus sighed to himself. He really did want to help with Juliet's party, but he just didn't have the time. He may not have been as close to her as Shawn was, but he still liked her. He just didn't want to lose credit for all of his hard work. Which always seemed to happen when Shawn was involved.

Sighing deeply to himself, Gus turned back to the glowing laptop and his route.

**oooooooooo**

She didn't look any different. Not older. Not wiser. Nothing.

It was a stupid tradition Juliet had begun on her twelfth birthday. Though she knew it was lame, the blonde refused to break the habit.

Standing before the mirror, Juliet O'Hara did her traditional birthday examination. But instead of checking for larger breasts or more shapely thighs, like she had from the ages of twelve to twenty-one, she searched for something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something she couldn't even name.

Not really satisfied with what she saw, but tired of looking for an answer that wasn't there, Juliet turned on her shower. Waiting for the rushing water to warm up, the woman ran her brush through the tangled mess that was her hair. The bristles snagging on a knot occasionally, the pain was enough to keep her thoughts off of her day. Convinced that all of the snarls were gone and with the water finally warm, Juliet climbed into the shower hoping that it would wash away her sour mood.

**oooooooooo**

"You know, Shawn, I have to admit that I'm impressed." Gus walked further into the private party room of Tom Blair's Pub. Nodding his approval at the decorations, the man turned to face his best friend who was looking hurt. Holding what looked like ten colorfully bowed pineapples, Shawn's face was mixture of mock outrage and genuine surprise.

"Don't sound so shocked, Gus. It's not like I can't do anything without your help." In his effort to emphasize his exaggerated offense, Shawn managed to jar loose the fruit in his arms. Looking desperately at Gus, he clung to the fruit slipping towards his knees. "Now… help me?"

"Ha. You do need my help." The smug look that overtook his features would not be held back.

"Fine, I need you. Now help me." Just as one of the spine-y fruits was about to break free, Gus ran forward and pulled it from Shawn's grasp. With half of the load now in Gus's capable hands, and all of them out of harm's way, the two friends began to walk around the room placing the large Hawaiian treats on different tables.

"So Shawn, when is this party supposed to begin?" With the last pineapple in place, Gus made his way to the bar and picked up one of the pre-made smoothies complete with a fresh fruit slice and little plastic sword. Taking a sip, he wasn't surprised to find that they too were pineapple.

**oooooooooo**

Her modest heels clicked on the floor of Tom Blair's Pub, the uncertainty she felt echoed in her footsteps. Dressed in a knee length skirt and a modest v-neck top, she felt uncomfortable. Out of place despite the fact that the women around her were dressed the same way. When it came down to it, Juliet didn't even know why she was there. Well, she knew why. It was her birthday. But beyond that, she still didn't really know _why_.

Not knowing what to do, the blonde looked from the bar to the tables and their occupants for some… sign. For something, anything to tell her why she was there. But as her eyes began another sweep of the room, her heart sank even lower as she realized she didn't know anyone in the pub. Rolling her eyes at her own gullibility, Juliet caught sight of the clock on the wall. It was 8:03 pm and so, she was going home. The note had said eight, and it was already past that. She just didn't feel like waiting around for no one to show up.

"Jules!"

The blonde had never been so happy to hear Shawn Spencer calling her by his silly nickname. Yes, it was loud and yes, slightly obnoxious. But that didn't stop her heart beat from speeding up at the sound of it. Turning quickly towards his voice, Juliet was surprised to see a clean-shaven and neatly dressed psychic rushing up to her. As he offered her his right arm and bowed slightly, Juliet's face split into a wide grin.

As they walked arm in arm to the back of the pub, Juliet snuck a glance Shawn. She wanted to say thank you, to ask him how he knew. She wanted to ask him so many other things that were hidden in the back of her mind.

But she couldn't.

All Juliet could do was follow the man next to her in silence, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers where their elbows met.

When they reached the back room, Shawn released Juliet's arm, leaving her with an odd sense of emptiness at the lack of contact. But when he pushed open the door, she completely forgot about the spot on her arm that was tingling. She also forgot about all of her worries.

The party room at Tom Blair's Pub was packed with her friends and colleagues. There was Interim Chief Vick looking happier than she'd been in weeks. Next to her was her partner, Carlton, trying (and failing) to look comfortable in his usual suit and tie. Juliet even managed to catch a sight of Buzz McNab who looked rather awkward in his neatly pressed t-shirt and jeans. But as she thought about it, the blonde realized that this was the first time she'd ever seen him out of uniform. The sight was oddly bizarre, almost as if civilian clothes didn't suit him.

As Shawn took her arm once again, Juliet followed him into a sea of smiling faces that were all wishing her happy birthday. It wasn't until the psychic had placed a smoothie in her hand that she noticed the decorations in the room. "Shawn, you did all of this?"

A sweetly mischievous smile crossed the man's face as he looked around the room non-committal-y. There were streamers, balloons, and a table for gifts. Not to mention the fact that there were pineapples everywhere. Real ones and crepe paper ones along with pineapple-shaped confetti and pineapple-flavored treats such as mini upside down cakes.

Deep down, she figured that Shawn must have put it together by himself. If Gus had helped, the theme would have been decidedly less… tropical. The blonde had to remind herself that it was the thought that counted. And when it came down to it, the man _had_ put a lot of thought into the party.

"So… Wanna dance with the hippest, sexiest, and most dashing psychic at the SBPD?" Shawn stood with his hands out just waiting for her to accept. And really, with him standing there looking so sweet and feeling caught up in the moment, she just couldn't say no.

**oooooooooo**

Later that night, dressed in her favorite pajamas with a glass of peach wine, Juliet sat on her bed surrounded by gifts. There was a monogrammed pen from Carlton and small charm bracelet with a cat on it from Gus. Interim Chief Vick had surprised her by giving her a really lovely vase. And Buzz had once again reminded her of how sweet he could be with the pretty picture frame he'd given her.

But it was Shawn's gift she appreciated the most.

Picking up the basket and her wine glass, Juliet padded softly across the hall to her bathroom. After the week she'd had, she fully intended to take a long, relaxing bath with the soap set Shawn had picked out at Bath and Body Works. The gift contained various products in "Fresh Pineapple" that came complete with a pineapple-shaped sponge and rubber duckie. Nothing made the blonde feel more girly and amazing than a pampering soak in her tub.

It may not have been her favorite scent, but it was still wonderful. And it would definitely make a perfect end to what had turned out to be a really wonderful birthday.

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All of your comments and encouragement mean the world to me. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story so far!  
- Katie: Thank you so much. I know that I've been all over the place here lately. Thank you so much for putting up with me.  
- Reviews are love.


	5. Person Again

**Like a… Person Again**

"Hey, Shawn, great party last night!" Buzz McNab flashed a friendly smile as he saw the SBPD's resident psychic making his way towards him. "Ooh, I… _we_ ordered you a smoothie at lunch." With Shawn in tow, the cop led his friend to the small refrigerator in the break room. As Shawn smiled up at him expectantly, McNab dropped his eyes. Pulling the drink out of the cooler, Buzz grimaced at the half-melted smoothie. "We expected you to be here earlier."

"Awww, Buzz! You shouldn't have!" Despite the fact that the once icy beverage was almost juice, Shawn took a long drink of the pineapple treat. "See! Still delicious." A wide smile spread over the psychic's face as Buzz brightened up. "Now, can you tell me where Jules is?"

"Detective O'Hara is in wrapping up some loose ends of a case in Interim Chief Vick's office. Lassiter's in there too." McNab cast a weary look at Vick's door before turning back to Shawn. "They've been in there for a while now."

Taking another sip of the sickeningly sweet liquid, Shawn nodded sagely around the straw. "The spirits are telling me that they should be out soon." As always, the young police officer looked as if he completely understood and believed him. "They're also telling me that I should wait by her desk."

"Oh, ok. Well, thanks again." Remembering that he still had some work to do before he could go home, Buzz smiled at Shawn before getting back to work.

**oooooooooo**

It wasn't almost the end of the day. It _was_ the end of the day with only fifteen minutes remaining before Juliet was free to leave. Shawn could very easily while away fifteen minutes in a room full of people: a prediction here, a quick bit of communicating with the spirit world there. The next thing he knew, it was three and a half minutes after the end of Juliet's shift.

Shawn threw out one more "prediction" before looking towards Juliet's desk. He'd expected to see the blonde locks of her hair slipping out of her bun after a long day. He'd expected to see her rummaging through her files. But instead, he saw… nothing.

No Jules. No blonde hair. No nothing.

At seven minutes past, Juliet was still closed up in Vick's office. He was tempted to knock on the Chief's door, but he figured, if he ever wanted another case with the SBPD, that that wasn't the best idea. Instead, Shawn extricated himself from the group of laughing cops and headed towards the blonde's desk to do the one thing he'd always been horrible at. Wait.

The minutes ticked by, and while Shawn stayed in Juliet's chair, that didn't stop him from talking to anyone that walked by. After fifteen more minutes of pointless chatter, the psychic gave up. He just couldn't handle sitting and waiting like a good little boy.

As a young boy, his father had told him that patience was a virtue. From that moment on, he'd been determined not to have any. To have patience after that speech would have meant that he agreed with his dad, and that just wasn't going to happen. And the fact that he was just a big ball of energy only helped to serve that vow.

Happily giving up the charade of being well mannered, Shawn stuck the plastic straw between his lips and sucked. Though the glass was only half empty, it made a loud slurping noise that caused more than a few people to turn around and look.

As the time got later and later, cops and detectives began making their way out of the department for the night. With most of the people gone and almost bored to tears, Shawn noticed a small pink book on the Juliet's desk.

Her planner.

A wicked grin crossed the man's face as he cast a suspicious eye around the police station. It was completely empty save for one person. Buzz McNab. But even the sight of his friend didn't discourage the nosy psychic from reaching out and pulling the small book towards himself.

Flipping through the pages as he continued to sip at the now, completely melted smoothie, Shawn smiled at the little doodles and notes that covered the pages. Most of it seemed to be in some short hand that, most likely, only she could understand. For some reason, that made it even more endearing. He was just about to flip to the small post-it note he knew was stuck to the front cover when Detective Lassiter walked by.

"Lassy Face!" If Lassiter was out of the meeting with Vick, it meant that Jules wasn't far behind. He opened his mouth to speak, but the detective held up one hand and muttered something along the lines of 'not now Spencer'. Honestly, he hadn't expected anything else, but that certainly wasn't about to stop him from trying.

Content with the detective's reaction, the psychic turned back to Juliet's planner. Quickly flipping to the front cover, the man smiled as his note from earlier in the week winked back at him. Despite the fact that he'd only written it three days ago, as he stared at it, Shawn couldn't help but think that it felt like so long ago.

In the past few days, he'd found out about Juliet's birthday, planned, and thrown her a party, and managed to make it all pineapple-tastic at the same time. If it hadn't been for an excessive amount of caffeine and smoothies in the past few days, he'd have been dead on his feet today.

Lost in the little note, _his _note, Shawn didn't get a chance to fully ponder why Jules hadn't just crumpled it up and thrown it away. He was just about to embark on a not-so-inner dialogue about it when someone walked up behind him.

"Shawn?" Juliet's voice was an odd mixture of pleasure and irritation as she noticed Shawn and then her planner in his hands.

If only he'd have been paying attention to his surroundings. If only he'd not been so totally absorbed in the stupid post-it note stuck to the inside of her day planner. He might have saved himself some dignity by not jumping a mile at the sound of her voice. Unfortunately, Shawn Spencer just wasn't that lucky.

Quickly trying to recover his composure, the man pressed his fore and index finger to his temple as if he were trying to discern something from the spirit world. 'Oh, hey, Jules. My receptors must have been blocked. I didn't sense that you were behind me. How is everything this fine evening?"

Smiling at the man seated at her desk, Juliet decided not to ask Shawn what he was doing with her planner. She was sure that there was some long, wonderfully entertaining explanation, but right now, she just didn't care. "I'm good." Carefully reaching around the psychic sitting in her chair, the blonde picked up her planner and drew her purse out of the bottom desk drawer.

"Look, I don't know how you found out about my birthday, but I wanted to say thank you for last night." A small smile crossed her face as Shawn pressed his fingers to his temple once again as if to say, 'I heard it from the other side.' Watching him, Juliet couldn't help but wonder if his "vision" had anything to do with her day planner. "Also, thank you for the gift. It's wonderful."

For the first time since she'd walked up. Shawn caught a whiff of the pineapple-scented lotion he'd given her the night before. With the gentle undertone of coconut intoxicating his senses, the psychic suddenly found himself unable to move.

And for once… unable to speak.

Inhaling the wonderfully tropical scent, the man looked up at Juliet praying that he didn't look too helpless. He could have forced some lame joke or pushed himself into a standing position. But Shawn had the sneaking suspicion that he'd only end up looking like more of a fool if he did.

"Anyway… I just wanted to say thanks. I really appreciated it." Juliet's green eyes sparkled as Shawn stared dumbly up at her.

He had to say something. Do something. Anything. But the fact that Jules was wearing the pineapple lotion, the lotion he'd given her, seemed to have stunned his brain. If only momentarily. "Oh, it's no problem, Jules. Anything for you." Even though he'd found his voice, his legs still didn't seem to want to cooperate. So instead, he held up the ¾ empty and now totally melted smoothie. "Wanna sip? It's delicious and nutritious."

Juliet eyed the tropical drink suspiciously before pulling her keys out of her purse. "Nah. I think I'll pass." Her smile was tinted with a slight crinkle of her nose. "I'll see you later."

The woman turned to leave, but before she could stop herself, Juliet turned back to Shawn. Still seated at her desk, the psychic was smiling up as her sweetly…

**oooooooooo**

Later that night, submerged in a hot tub full of pineapple-scented bubbles, Juliet O'Hara thought about how her feet seemed to have worked of their own volition. Of how they had carried her closer and closer to Shawn.

As she ran the tap to warm up the water a bit, she remembered how she'd only needed to bend slightly to bring her lips to Shawn's. But unlike the rest of her memories, she lingered on the moment when her lips had pressed softly against the psychic's and how he had tasted like a pineapple smoothie.

Taking a sip of the wine as the bubbles began to rise around her again, Juliet marveled at how Shawn Spencer had managed to make her feel like a person, princess, and goddess all at once.

**Fin.**

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- To everyone who has reviewed, thank you so much. While I enjoyed writing this, it was your reviews that really made this come to life for me. Thank you all so much.  
- Katie: Thank you for continuously telling me that I'm funny. For telling me that everyone is in character. And for never telling me that this was lame. Thank you so much. :duck:  
- Reviews are love.


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